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| Dr Oliver Hartwich | Executive Director | oliver.hartwich@nzinitiative.org.nz | ||||||||||||
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The Awards are New Zealand’s premier celebration of corporate excellence. They typically recognise achievements like CEO performance, company growth and business leadership. But among these categories came an unexpected announcement: the Judges’ Award was presented to a think tank director. I was deeply honoured to accept this recognition on behalf of The New Zealand Initiative. For a small policy research organisation to be acknowledged at New Zealand’s most prestigious business awards shows how much we have achieved since our beginnings in 2012. More importantly, it demonstrates that the business community values rigorous policy thinking and development. This recognition belongs to the entire Initiative team. Whether in research, management or operations, we all contribute to the same mission. Over the past 12 years, our researchers have produced evidence-based analysis, while our operations team have ensured these ideas reach decision-makers and the public. Our work has helped shape real change for New Zealand. Our education research is directly influencing teaching practices in schools. Our housing policy research has contributed to reforms in local government and planning. And the government’s proposed reforms to foreign direct investment rules closely follow our longstanding recommendations. As a small nation, New Zealand needs independent voices contributing to policy debates alongside government departments and universities. For more than a decade, we have provided research-based solutions to New Zealand’s most pressing challenges. The award recognises that good policy development needs thorough research, practical solutions, and the courage to challenge conventional wisdom. We are grateful to our Board and to our members who have supported our mission from the start. Our work would not be possible without their commitment to evidence-based policy development. We also thank our many supporters and readers who engage with our research and contribute to the policy debates we initiate. As I said in my acceptance speech last night, if your company has a pulse, it should be a member of The New Zealand Initiative. It is wonderful to receive recognition at New Zealand’s premier business awards, and we would be more delighted to welcome more companies to join us in our mission. The recognition inspires us to continue our work: creating better policy for a more prosperous New Zealand. Thank you for your support. Watch Dr Oliver Hartwich receive the award here. |
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| Dr Michael Johnston | Senior Fellow | michael.johnston@nzinitiative.org.nz | ||||||||||||
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There is some good news for New Zealand. The achievement of our Year 5 students in science was significantly better than it was four years ago. Neither the Year 9 data for science nor mathematics at either year level have changed significantly since the last round of the study. There is also some bad news. For one thing, we have some of the largest achievement gaps amongst the 64 participating countries, between children from affluent communities and those from disadvantaged ones. Only six out of the 64 had larger gaps than New Zealand. We already knew we had a problem with our socioeconomic gradient in educational attainment. Just about every international study shows the same thing. But the latest TIMSS data also contained an unpleasant surprise – a new gap has opened up between the achievement of boys and girls in maths. In the 2019 round, there was no gap between the sexes in either subject. But in the latest round, boys did significantly better in maths than girls. It’s unusual to see educational gaps disfavouring girls in our educational data. In almost all measures of achievement, girls do better than boys. Why the TIMSS gap in maths has appeared is something of a puzzle. But other results from the study may hold a clue. TIMSS also measures reported classroom disorder. Children rate how often they are disturbed by disrupted conduct while they are trying to learn. On this measure, New Zealand was the fourth worst out of the 64 participating countries. Perhaps girls are more sensitive to noise and disruption than boys. If that is the explanation, it’s no surprise that it affected their maths learning in particular. Of all the subjects that children learn at school, maths requires the greatest concentration. Children’s short-term working memory is easily overloaded when learning mathematical processes. Noise occupies working memory resources that could otherwise be devoted to learning. This is just a hypothesis, but one that would be worth investigating further. One thing is for sure, though. Children don’t learn well in noisy and disrupted classrooms. We urgently need to get that under control. |
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| Lottie Evans | Events Coordinator | lottie.evans@nzinitiative.org.nz | ||||||||||||
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This celebration, traditionally held on the first Saturday of December, represents the best of our nation. For the uninitiated, Crate Day involves the sophisticated activity of consuming an entire crate of your local beer while engaging in classic Kiwiana activities. Swimming at the beach, sitting in the back of a truck bed, or watching at least four boys attempting to light one barbeque are all officially endorsed escapades. The economic benefits are clear. Just think of the local breweries whose products are essential to the celebration. But by making this a public holiday, we would provide support to countless other small businesses. Manufacturers of chilly bins, local dairies providing pies and hopefully water, along sellers of headache tablets (for the day after), would all benefit. Environmental advocates should also embrace this celebration. After all, what better way to promote recycling than returning your crate of empty and unbroken vessels the local brewery for a $7 return. Those concerned about health and safety might have some worries about this proposed holiday. And to be fair, they might have a point. But one could also argue that it would be a celebration our wonderful ACC system. It would be a day for our health service to shine. Picture proud Crate Day participants all over the country crying, “hey guys, watch this!” ... before reminding us all why we need ACC so much. Other critics may worry that turning a grassroots celebration like Crate Day into a formal holiday would diminish its charm. But I say what we really need a holiday that truly celebrates what New Zealand is. Forget the faux summer Christmas adverts with Santa in a swimsuit and jandals. Forget the confusion of lighting fireworks to celebrate the foiling of a gunpowder plot 400 years ago on the other side of the world. Crate Day would be a holiday by New Zealanders for New Zealanders. In a world of increasing complexity, it is time to embrace this celebration of local industry, summer vibes, and questionable judgment. A day where the most critical thinking you have to do is, “One by One, Two by Two” in the hopes of finishing all 12 drinks by midnight. Nothing says "New Zealand" quite like turning informal drinking into a national institution. |
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